Agusan Marsh: Where humans and crocodiles thrive

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

Published in the Business Mirror, April 10, 2016

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/agusan-marsh-where-humans-and-crocodiles-thrive/

Lolong, the world's largest saltwater crocodile during captivity

LOLONG, a 22-foot saltwater crocodile, shocked the world when it was captured in 2011. It has put Bunawan, a town in the province of Agusan del Sur, in the limelight as home to the largest crocodile in captivity. Before its demise in 2013, Lolong became the center of ecotourism in Bunawan.

Agusan Marsh

More than the fame and fortune that came Bunawan’s way, Lolong’s capture and demise while in captivity became an eye opener to the people of Agusan del Sur: Wildlife belongs in the wild.  

“After they captured Lolong, hunting of crocodile stopped. There was a plan to launch a hunt for another big crocodile then, but after Lolong [died], the Protected Area Management Board [PAMB] decided not to allow hunting within the protected area,” said Emmelie T. Ibonia, the Protected Area superintendent of the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS).

Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) said there is more to Agusan Marsh than large crocodiles, like Lolong.

 

Key biodiversity area

A protected area, by virtue of Proclamation 913, which established the AMWS, the 40,942-hectare wildlife sanctuary is a key biodiversity area and a wetland of international importance, it being a feeding and nesting ground of migratory birds.

The AMWS is Ramsar site and was issued a certificate on November 12, 1999, because of its importance to the survival of migratory wild birds that pass by the country during their escape from colder areas in the region. “Once a wetland is declared a Ramsar site, it is recognized as a wetland of international importance,” Lim said.  The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. 

The convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90 percent of UN member-states, from all the world’s geographic regions, have acceded to become “Contracting Parties.”  According to Lim, the fact that the world’s largest crocodile, and perhaps the oldest (Lolong was estimated to be 50 years old), was able to survive in Agusan Marsh is proof that the ecosystem in the area remains intact The wildlife sanctuary is shared by the towns of Bunawan (where Lolong was captured) La Paz, Loreto, Rosario, San Francisco and Tacalogon in Agusan del Sur province. 

Agusan Marsh

According to a biological profile prepared by the DENR-BMB, the AMWS is home to 112 species of trees and other plant species. A total of 127 bird species can be found in the marsh, 31 of which are endemic to the Philippines, including 10, which are considered critically endangered. Being a wetland, the Agusan Marsh is also thriving with native fish, including 16 freshwater fish species.

Unique ecosystem

The AMWS is a unique ecosystem. On top of being a habitat of rare and endangered wildlife, the marsh has two important hydrological functions. It serves as flood-retention basin that absorbs excess water that otherwise could cause flooding in many areas. At the same time, it also serves as sediment trap.

During the wet season, Agusan Marsh is a large single swamp or a single lake. During dry season, it turns into a series of interconnected rivers and isolated swamps and lakes with Agusan River flowing through the center. Eight river tributaries—namely, Gibong, Simulao, Manat, Baobo, Logum, Ihaoan, Umayan and Adgaoan—drain into the Agusan Marsh or into the reaches of the Agusan River upstream of the marsh.

Peatlands

Agusan Marsh is known to have large peatlands, which are wetlands formed by plant fossils over thousands of years. They provide a host of important ecosystem services, Lim said.  Peatland ecosystems are considered as the most important carbon sink, more important than forests, because of its carbon-absorption capacity.  During heavy rains and floods, these peatlands can absorb huge volumes of water, preventing potentially destructive and deadly floods.

“Peatlands are carbon storage. Destroying peatlands may release carbon into the atmosphere,” Lim said. “It is important that these peatlands in the Agusan Marsh are preserved,” she added.

Ibonia said there are two peatlands within the AMWS—the 5,325 hectares Campugan Peatland in San Francisco town, and the 2,000 hectares Talacogon Peatland in Talacogon town. “These peatlands are being protected along with important ecosystems and wildlife as part of our biodiversity monitoring activities,” she said.

Economic importance

Close to 20,000 Manobos live within the AMWS, Ibonia said. Being its primary protectors, the Manobos consider the Agusan Marsh their most important capital. During the dry season, they use the dry portion of the marsh to plant rice, corn and other crops. During the wet season, when the Agusan Marsh is turned into one big lake, they take their boats and nets to catch fish, such as mudfish, carp, tilapia, catfish and gourami. 

The swamp forest is also a source of fuelwood. It is also thriving with fruits—kamandiis, lambog and wild lanzones (Lancium domesticum), durian (Durio zibethinus) and marang (Arthocarpus integrefolia).

The DENR-BMB believes that the unique sceneries in the marshland offer ecotourism activities, such as bird watching, kayaking, sightseeing, lake hopping, river cruising and trekking along identified peat dome area.  

In fact, the Department of Tourism in the Caraga Region is promoting the AMWS. Ecotourism in the area is incorporated in the Provincial Tourism Master Plan of Agusan del Sur.

The management of the AMWS is continuously engaging the communities, including young pupils in public elementary schools in Agusan del Sur, as part of its information, education and communication campaign to highlight the importance of protecting Agusan Marsh.

Illegal fishing, timber poaching

Illegal fishing is a serious threat to fish biodiversity in Agusan Marsh, Ibonia said.  “People use electrocution gadgets to catch fish. This is illegal because electricity kills even small fish and fish eggs. If illegal fishing methods continue, we might end up losing all our fish,” she said. Timber poaching, according to Ibonia, is another big problem. People living within AMWS, as well as “outsiders,” are into commercial logging, she said.

‘Bantay Danao’

According to Ibonia, the 63-member PAMB, the highest policy-making body, which governs AMWS, is very active and supports the policy to protect and conserve Agusan del Sur’s most treasured economic resource.

The local government units, which are represented in the PAMB, have their own respective “Bantay Danao,” or lake guards. Danao in the Manobo native tongue means lake, she said. Because of limited resources, she added, the PAMB has appropriated a budget for only 10 Bantay Danao.

“Part of their [Bantay Danao] job is biodiversity monitoring and enforcement of environmental laws,” she said. From time to time they conduct routine patrol in parts of the marsh’s identified “hot spots,” areas where illegal fishing and timber poaching occur, which covers an area of about 10,000 hectares. This means every deputized Bantay Danao covers 1,000 hectares. 

Home of crocodiles

The Agusan Marsh is known to be home of crocodiles. Two species of crocodiles found in the Philippines are known to thrive in Agusan Marsh: the Crocodylus mindorensis, or the freshwater crocodile, and the saltwater Crocodylus porosus,

According to Lim, to protect the remaining crocodiles, the DENR-BMB once attempted to conduct a study to determine the population of the crocodiles in Agusan Marsh. But the plan did not push through.   

She said there is a need to develop baseline data in Agusan Marsh that should include crocodiles.

Live in peace and harmony

Ibonia said people and crocodiles live in peace and harmony.  Despite reports of Lolong’s fatal attack that prompted the Bunawan local government unit to launch the hunt, people do not generally fear crocodiles.

“There was no other incident of crocodile attack. The first and last report of crocodile threat to the community was in 2009,” she said.

“Here, people have learned to live in harmony with the crocodiles. It’s part of their way of life,” she said. The report said a 10-year-old girl was eaten by a crocodile. The young girl’s decapitated head was found, prompting the people in Bunawan to suspect a crocodile was behind the attack, hence, the manhunt that resulted in the capture of the world’s largest-living crocodile. 

Image Credits: DENR Strategic Communication and Initiatives Service